Anheuser-Busch is expected to use its Super Bowl ad buy to launch a direct-to-consumer network, code-named "The Bud Screen," during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XL, writes MediaPost. Bud will allow users to download advertising, programming and branded entertainment content directly to their computers, iPods and other devices. Anheuser-Busch will encourage viewers to sign up for a "season pass" to the channel, which would (undetected) download content on their hard drives until the users are ready to view it.

The move is not merely a means of broadband video distribution, but the launch of an ongoing channel, likely to be branded "Bud TV," that aggressively bypasses traditional TV outlets to deliver content to consumers.

The direct-to-consumer approach could eventually give marketers more control over their messages than relying on traditional TV - and much less expensive, with significantly lower production costs, and near-zero cost for the media.